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Buffalo Sabres earn high offseason grade from major network

By Sion Fawkes

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 29: Ethan Miedema shakes hands with team personnel after being selected 109th overall by the Buffalo Sabres during the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft - Rounds 2-7 at Bridgestone Arena on June 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 29: Ethan Miedema shakes hands with team personnel after being selected 109th overall by the Buffalo Sabres during the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft - Rounds 2-7 at Bridgestone Arena on June 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The Buffalo Sabres had a great offseason in the eyes of many fans, but what did those in the media think? One major outlet agrees.

Not so long ago, The Athletic didn’t have a high opinion of the Buffalo Sabres, having rated them among the worst teams in the NHL shortly before the 2022-23 season. Then the Blue and Gold surprised just about everyone between October 2022 and April 2023, finishing the year with a winning record and 91 points for the first time in ages, foreshadowing what could be an epic year in 2023-24.

But we can all agree that the Sabres still needed a few upgrades, particularly on defense. This team, despite nearly making the playoffs in 2022-23, still had a negative goals for to goals against ratio, which shows you just how bad they were defensively. Luckily, general manager Kevyn Adams remedied the situation when he added Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton in free agency last week.

And those two signings help spearhead what was one of the highest early offseason grades in the NHL from The Athletic. The Blue and Gold were one of just eight teams to earn a B+ or better, with the Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, and the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Athletic hands Buffalo Sabres one of the NHL’s best early offseason grades

So what justified the grade? The following snippet from The Athletic will give you a good idea:

"“Don Granato now has a lot more options when it comes to mixing and matching his defensive pairs in certain situations. The Sabres also tried to add a forward but have been unable to do so to this point. That’s the only thing keeping this grade from being a bit higher.” – Matthew Fairburn"

While I could see the Sabres looking to have added a forward, this high-octane team already has more than enough scorers, even in lieu of Jack Quinn’s injury. Adding another defensive forward would have been ideal, but the Sabres also have potential in that avenue this season with the likes of Jordan Greenway and Peyton Krebs.

Not to mention, Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo also fit the mold well and they were also outstanding defensively last season. That said, I’m personally not worried about the Buffalo Sabres situation at forward, and once Quinn returns to the lineup, it’ll be a bonus.

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Overall, it’s good to see the Buffalo Sabres basically get a top ten ranking here, even if there weren’t any formal rankings to go on since this order was alphabetized. But as one of eight teams to have received either a B+ or better, it’s safe to assume.

Source: NHL free-agency report card: Grades for each team’s early offseason moves by The Athletic Staff, TheAthletic.com

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